Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
 
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.[1] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary. (USCCB recommends: # 40.The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Providence.)
 

“Monk Feeding the Poor”
by Louis Gallait, 1845

Readings for Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Philippians 4:10-19
 
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice greatly in the Lord
that now at last you revived your concern for me.
You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.
Not that I say this because of need,
for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself,
to be self-sufficient.
I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel,
when I left Macedonia,
not a single church shared with me
in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone.
For even when I was at Thessalonica
you sent me something for my needs,
not only once but more than once.
It is not that I am eager for the gift;
rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account.
I have received full payment and I abound.
I am very well supplied because of what I received from you
through Epaphroditus,
“a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Phil 4:10-19
St. Paul has received financial aid from the Philippians (see Philippians 2:25). He now expresses his overwhelming thanks for that gift. This expression of gratitude makes clear that selfless giving to those in need is characteristic of this Christian community. The apostle sees this gift as a sharing in his own tribulations (“my distress” is a reference to the deprivations of his apostolic mission).
 
The final verses of this reading are a solemn doxology expressing faith that whatever is needed will be supplied. This latter refers to needs of the spirit “in accord with the glorious riches of Christ Jesus.”
 
CCC: Phil 4:13 273, 308, 1460
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 112:1b-2, 5-6, 8a and 9
 
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 112:1b-2, 5-6, 8a and 9
 
This hymn of David exalts the person who follows the Law of God. Actions associated with faithfulness are extolled, especially acts of generosity. That generous person, we are told, will be held up by God, and the one who follows the Lord will be upheld by God “in everlasting remembrance.”  Following St. Paul’s expression of thanks in Philippians 4:10-19, the psalm can be seen to emphasize the Christian call to charity.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 16:9-15
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 16:9-15
 
This passage contains the conclusions or morals of the parable of the dishonest steward. “Dishonest wealth: literally, "mammon of iniquity." Mammon is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning "that in which one trusts." The characterization of this wealth as dishonest expresses a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty. Eternal dwellings: or, "eternal tents," i.e., heaven as opposed to the teachings.”[5]

The lessons taught to the disciples in the second and third moralizations of that story are, first the need to be faithful in positions of responsibility, and then the inability of a person to serve two masters. “'Abomination': the original Greek word means worship of idols, and, by derivation, the horror this provoked in a true worshiper of God. So the expression conveys God's disgust with the attitude of the Pharisees who, by wanting to be exalted, are putting themselves, like idols, in the place of God.”[6]
 
CCC: Lk 16:13 2424
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
The moral principles put forward for Christians with regard to wealth and power have proven effective countless times in the course of human history.  The moral treatise on the corrupting nature of wealth presented in Scripture today was also captured by a great non-Christian moralist Mahatma Gandhi.  Two of his “Seven Sins” are emphasized in the Gospel passage from St. Luke: “Wealth without work,” and “Commerce without morality” [Thank you Deacon Gilheany].  When a person places the accumulation of wealth as their principal measure of success in life, the corrupting influences run wild.  Look at Bernard Madoff.  It is likely that, at some point in his career as a financial advisor and entrepreneur, he was honest and hardworking.  He was, however, seduced by wealth.  It became his personal measure of success and overrode his moral compass.  His subsequent fall from grace ruined the futures of many who trusted him, and dragged his family into the pit with him.
 
I use Madoff as an archetype for those who have fallen into the same trap.  Like all moralizations there is a balance that must be struck.  Notice the Gospel does not say: “embrace poverty.”  There are some, whose faith in Christ is unchallenged, who have done so in his name, St. Francis of Assisi as a notable example.  Numerous saintly examples throughout Church history have embraced poverty and rejected all earthly comforts as an expression of their deep and abiding faith, and we venerate them for their sacrifice.  However, leading a faithful life in Christ does not require the extremes to which many of the saints have gone.
 
In the parable provided today, the Lord disparages “dishonest wealth;” wealth obtained through immoral and dishonest means. There is in Sacred Scripture an implicit requirement that the faithful use their God-given gifts to support themselves, and to provide comfort to those who have not been so gifted.  St. Paul explicitly notes this requirement in his letters.
 
The difficulty comes, for the faithful Christian, when we begin to strive for wealth for wealth’s sake, when we find pleasure in being praised for our success, forgetting that it was only through God’s mercy and grace that we have been successful.  There are those among us who have gone to one extreme or another in this battle.  For all of us, the Lord provides one overriding command: all things for God’s greater glory.  Whether we embrace an ascetic lifestyle or  we experience material success, we are called to offer our efforts for God’s greater glory.  If we genuinely do so, we will be greatly blessed and our reward, on the last day, will be just.
 
Pax
 

---

[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by “BVM.” The readings and prayers may be selected from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture used today is “Monk Feeding the Poor” by Louis Gallait, 1845.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] NAB footnote on Luke 16:9.
[6] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 457.